You should try having a little more empathy. Imagine you live in country that jails/kills/tortures you for expressing an opinion that goes agains the government. Would you like to leave? Imagine living in a country that is at war, would you want to leave? If your neighbours house burnt down, would you let them in for a cup of tea? Just because people live in different countries it doesnt mean they dont deserve to benefit from common human deceny. You should acknowledge the fact that the world is full of people who arent as comfortable as you or I. I can see how this story seems very unfair. School funding isn't as simple as you are making out. The hiring of another teaching is a longterm £30000/pa expense and sending the teacher to india (however strange it seems, makes a good story for the tabloids) involves alot less money. I expect my Government to spend more money on people that are disadvantaged, thats why I pay my taxes. I'm sure with the full facts, this story is alot less absurd sounding. [/quote] More money is spent on people who need it the most, its simple. The indian girl got extra teaching becase she couldn't speak English, not because of the color of her skin. Disabled people, unemployed people and old people also get more money etc. Adults that can't read or write also get more resources, simple. Maybe if you don't like they way things are done, you could emigrate .
I, personally, think that Europeans are not racists. They're just one of the proudest group of people on Earth.
I would hate to be from the middle east and living in the US thats for sure. but every country has its share of racism.. its not going to go away IMO
I think that treatment of Muslims in the US is far better than treatment of Americans in Muslim countries, that's basically it.
You didn't say "muslim countries", you said "middle east". So do you think muslims are better treated in US than Americans in, lets say, Marocco or Tunisia (muslim countries) ? Or muslims are better treated in US than American in Israel (Middle east) ? Subsidiary question : Is Guantanamo in US and did you inclued it in your survey ?
You are looking at a complex issue in a very simple way. Most of the Americans in the middle east are armed invaders.
A sweeping statement from the OP but when you get down to it, Germany and France were systematically purged (for lack of a better word) of minorities just 60 years ago.
It's so horrible that racism is everywhere. I've grown up in South Africa, which has like the worst history in terms of racial conflict and, although we've done well to restructure our society so quickly (1990), we still have so much racism around us, that I don't feel we can ever really be rid of. I'm still in high school, one of the best private schools in the country, and because of this I live in a boarding house with such a diverse range of cultures; Korean, black, white, english, german - and the kind of racist jokes that go around are ridiculous. I think that the whole world has a long way to go.
Can I post a link? No problem whatsoever. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2174237,00.html there you go Mistermix, I have answered your question, now can you answer mine that I asked earlier? Certainly I would without doubt THAT is not at question here. Hoisted by your own petard I say NEIGHBOUR is the operative word here. Again I state what these hijackers did. They flew an internal flight across the whole of mainland europe to reach the UK. Please understand what I am saying here is NOT that we do not have a duty to give asylum to genune cases, because of course we do. But if a bear is chasing me, I run for my life, and I stop running when I am safe. Afghanistan (to use your analogy of the burning house), is NOT a neighbour of the UK is it? Here we go. These are some of the countries they might well have travelled over. Turkey, Greese, Italy Spain, France, belgium Holland. Are you telling me that NONE of these countries were safe? My argument is that they were NOT running away from Afghanistan per se. They were running TOWARDS the UK. Of course they were trying to get away from danger, but the moment they rejected landing in a European country, they started to run Towards the UK rather than Away from Afghanistan. Kiddo, there is a difference between racism and racist jokes. I am Welsh, which is a country in the Uk we make racist jokes about the English, but it is just banter, and humour it is not racism. People make jokes about their mothers in law, but they still love them. this is just how humour works. It becomes racism when you treat epoeple differently.
Yeah, the problem is very few of the people reaching the UK are in any danger.Plus, there are plenty of "safe" countries around Europe yet most travel straight through to the UK. This is because of the financial benefits and not because this is the only safe place in Europe. Yes I would. I wouldn't however invite them to stay over at my place indefinitely and at my expense.There's being a good neighbour....and then there's allowing yourself to be walked all over.
During the crusades a huge group of crusaders killed the jews, and the pope excommunicated them....that culture has never died. Whom ever is racist is dumb...atleast know the person or what kind of person they're like before you judge them.
How did you go about this research? How many french did you meet that were offending jews, and how many weren't? There are idiots everywhere, perhaps you've just learnt to avoid them in the U.S.
Yeah, that episode is a joke. It still beggars belief a bunch of people were able to hijack a plane and then claim asylum. <shaking head> Do you lot still get away with that? Try making a joke about the English up here, north of the border, and you are decried as a racist and taken to court for 'racial abuse'. Good-natured banter is what I call it but there you go.
Jim, I suppose much of the contact I have is in and around rugby as a sport so banter is fine. There are some who take it seriously though, which is VERY sad.
Europeans are racist? That's a bit racist generalising a whole continent like that Seriously though, I've seen racism in most places I've been to in Europe, it's not a regional thing, it's a issue of intelligence and bigotry, and unfortunately all countries are blessed with those. There is racism in the UK, there is in Eastern and Western Europe, there is on the Iberian peninsula. I remember an England game in Spain a couple of years ago when the black England players we taunted with monkey noises and had bananas thrown at them. I'm not about to say Spanish people are racist, but they like every country has their bigots and the sheep that follow them. I'm not even sure it's a city thing. I've lived in London for six years and am getting married to a Sri Lankan girl. Originally coming from deepest darkest Devon I was a little scared when I took her back to meet my parents. I like most people assumed that she'd have received unwelcoming comments from people in pubs and bars that don't see asians and blacks that often, if at all. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she was welcomed with open arms and I spent most of the night trying to pull her away from the local guys who spent most of the night trying to chat her up. I understand what you're saying about the situation in the UK at the moment. I don't believe that's a racism issue, rather mis-managed immigration by the goverment and the absurdity of the 'human' rights bill, that only seems to protect the rights of the criminal and ignore the victims.
Part of the problem is that some do not see that racial jokes among friends of different races are not racisit. I said to my mate in jest 'what the xxxx do you know about African Tribalism, your from Wolverhampton! Is that racist? Probably, if we went to the letter of the law.
Thanks for the link. They committed a crime, they were prosecuted, they were improsoned, they were released because they were not given a fair trial. ^Thats the criminal element of the story dealt with. You can't really argue with the courts, we have an extremely good legal system in the UK. Everyone has a right to a fair trial no matter where they come from. Then it was time to deport them but it was deemed unsafe to send them back to Afghanistan so they were allowed to stay in the UK. Its simple human rights. The criminal element and human rights element is seperate and is treated seperatly under the law. Do you think prosecuted criminals should be exempt from human rights laws? We are dropping bombs in Afghanistan, asylum seekers comes along with the bomb dropping. It's a package. I considor all countries to be our neighbours. Are you saying those Afghans/Hijackers were not in danger if they were sent back? Do you know something the courts weren't told? You are right about them choosing Britain and avoiding many other countries, are you saying the UK should only accept asylum seekers from countries nearby? Sounds like a good idea but is completely absurd and does not solve any problems. Turkey, Greese, Italy Spain, France, belgium and Holland have their share of Asylum problems too.